The Gift
by Kendoka Girl
Summary: Alternate future for our cowritten fic with Revan imparting a twisted gift for Bastila and visavis.


Here's a nasty gift for everyone. I put this up on the challenge thingee for Christmas. It's a possible future for Kenshin and my story, but we'll probably be kinder in that tale. Short and not so sweet.

**The Gift**

_What a strange and unusual gift…If one could call it that. _

Revan…the name sounded so alien and yet so familiar to the man seated on the cold deck plates of the massive control center of the Star Forge. His dark hair and eyes matched the darkness that was forming within him. He felt a rising bile in his throat and the urge to void the contents of his stomach grew within his being.

He flared his nostrils and forced the feeling back down into the roiling pit of heat and anger that had become his soul. He looked down at his hands, covered in blood and gore from his onslaught through the Star Forge to reach this place – the place that would drag him into the abyss.

_How did it come to this?_

**Five minutes earlier**

A stream of ions ripped into the armored chassis of the psychotic droid, HK-47. The droid shivered and sparks flew from his metal joints. His orange eyes focused in on fallen Jedi, Bastila Shan. "Dismay: You are a tougher meatbag than I thou…." he began to say as his power supply went dead.

Clad in dark robes and holding twin red lightsabers in her slender fingers, Bastila turned and curled the edge of her lip upward. "Revan, I did not think you would have made it this far. You are nothing, if not resourceful."

Something about her had changed – her stance, the angle of her blades, the confidence of her abilities. Her brown hair was tied back, giving her a severe, unforgiving look.

She noticed the curiously concerned look that Revan wore across his face. "Yes, Revan, Malak has taught me much during our time together. You will not find me the weakling that I was when _we_ were lovers."

The taunt could not go unnoticed and it twisted in Revan's heart, shredding and tearing like a dull knife. He shrank like melting snow, backing away with empty hands extended, palms outward.

"B…Bastila, I don't want to fight you. I can't fight you. Bastila…please."

She chuckled venomously, advancing with the point of her lightsaber aimed at Revan's throat. She would randomly shift her weight and manipulate her weapon about her body to keep her enemy off balance. Still backing up, Revan began to circle, reaching down for his own lightsaber.

It felt cold in his trembling grip, his fingers encircling it. He fought against his own hand as reluctant fingers plucked the cylinder from his belt and brought it in front of him. His body resisted as it slowly took a firm stance from Juyo, settled, with feet shoulder-width apart – it was all instinct.

Bastila saw the defensive posture form and an eager grin crept into her features. "What happened to the brave Revan? 'Always forward…always aggressive' you loved to say."

Revan continued to back away until his back pressed up against a cold durasteel wall.

Bastila struck.

She thrust the point of her weapon forward and Revan twisted away, letting the blade sizzle into the metal wall. With her double-bladed lightsaber, Bastila followed up with a scything cut, using the other blade. Revan dropped out of the way of the arcing, red beam and rolled behind her.

The female Jedi immediately thrust behind her and this time, Revan was forced to activate his lightsaber. He brought the blue blade up in a circle to sweep the crimson point from his face. The two rods of energy crackled as Revan pushed Bastila's thrust to the side.

He pushed back away from her. "Bastila…you can see that I haven't fallen. I am stronger now in the Light than I ever was," Revan said with forced hope…the conviction of his words as lacking as his offense.

She knew him too well. The bond they shared, the nights they shared, the love they shared, made his words transparent.

Bastila swept at Revan's legs like she was wielding a broom and Revan was forced to leap backward. As Revan was in midair, Bastila flicked her wrist upward and the tip of her blade slid along Revan's thigh. Smoke and flame erupted at the point of contact and Revan howled in pain, landing awkwardly.

Seeing his weakness, the fallen Jedi charged forward, hacking at her enemy with wild abandon, her face twisted in glee.

On pure instinct, Revan switched to the Soresu Style, becoming entirely defensive. He maneuvered himself under the red beam and seized Bastila's hand, letter her overshoot the cut. With his body weight behind him, Revan twisted her wrist and flung her over his shoulder.

Bones and sinews popped as Bastila went, head over heels, into the ground with a shriek. Her instincts were also finely honed, however, and she slapped the ground with her other hand to break her fall.

Her lightsaber went off and clattered away.

Seeing his love prostrate on the ground in pain, Revan hesitated and Bastila seized the opportunity. With her powerful legs, she swept Revan off his feet and he landed on the ground hard and his head spun with white hot agony.

He had no time to cry out for Bastila's heel found his forehead. The stench of blood filled his nostrils and the taste of it filled his mouth. Half blind with pain, he deflected another kick, but then, the fallen Jedi's legs wrapped around his neck, squeezing him like a vise.

His eyes bulged as the blood supply was cut off to his brain. He gulped for air and tried to draw upon the Force. Sparks of electricity jumped from his palm into Bastila and she grit her teeth as her robes smoldered.

Revan's eyes widened as he knew she had borne the brunt of his power.

Bastila's skin blanched and her eyes flashed the gold of dying suns. "That is what I had hoped to see, my Revan. Come to the Dark Side. We would rule the Galaxy."

Revan gasped. With his fading strength he wheezed, "No! I'll never give up on you Bastila. I'll never fall again though."

The fallen Jedi grunted sourly and squeezed even harder. Revan's face turned blue and his eyes began to roll back. "Then this is your end, Revan. I had such high hopes for us…all of us."

Bastila reached out with her good hand and her lightsaber flew to her grasp. She thumbed the power to the weapon and one crisp ruby blade shot forth. She looked into Revan's eyes with regret…with sorrow…with anger. Why did it have to be this way? All he needed to do was say 'yes.'

She drew back her arm and uttered a fierce war cry, but her features registered surprise…horror as she saw a blue rod of power drive through her chest.

Bastila dropped her weapon to the ground and blood trickled down her lips as she fell back. Revan immediately threw his own lightsaber aside and held her in his arms.

"Bastila! I'm so sorry…I don't know what happened." His face flushed red and hot with inner agony while his stomach knotted, cold and horrified.

She coughed, struggling in his arms, her strength still within her, but the wound in her chest still glowed with deadly power, draining her life. Slowly, she weakened in Revan's grasp, her movements slowing, becoming less focused. Her white skin flushed pink and the hue flooded back into her brown eyes.

She wiped her lips and put her fingers to Revan's face, stroking it gently, leaving streaks of red on his cheek.

"Jon," she said, using his alias, "I…I wanted this to be my gift to you…the Galaxy at your feet. A gift for the mighty Revan."

Revan's mind was scrambled in fear and panic. Snippets of memories tore through his brain and he was rendered helpless by his own emotions. "Bastila, stay with me. Juhani will be here soon. She'll heal you. Stay with me."

Bastila coughed again and her eyes became glassy. "No Jon. It is not to be. I cannot live…we cannot live. Your son and I would just become pawns for the Dark Side."

"My…my son?" A new horror crept into Revan's face.

Bastila nodded weakly. "He was to be my other gift to you, my lord. Your legacy was to continue."

Revan trembled with emotion and the heat in his face turned to bitter tears. He shook his head over and over again.

Summoning the last of her strength, Bastila grasped Revan's face, holding it still. "You know what you must do. You know you must end this," she said through crimson stained teeth.

Revan tried to struggle, tried to justify, tried to rationalize, but Bastila's words struck him like a Force Wave. "Let this be your gift to me, Jon. Finish it."

Revan's hand quivered as he held the cold cylinder of his weapon. A faint smile crossed Bastila's lips and she nodded.

The snap-hiss of a lightsaber powering up tore the air.

Then, in the darkness, Revan sat and pondered his final gift to his love and darkness took his soul.


End file.
